Sword Art Online - A Tale Untold
by ChristmasForJuan
Summary: This story is set before Alicization, and revolves around Kirito and Sinon, who were chosen as testers for the STL machine. However, as they commence the dive, the STL malfunctions and the couple are thrown into Underworld. In time, they will discover the other side of Underworld, and possibly meet with familiar faces.
1. Chapter 1

**Author`s Note**

Hello everybody, this is ChristmasForJuan ^^

First and foremost, I would like to warn everyone that this story of mine is set just before the Alicization arc, or more precisely, around the time that "Versus" occurs. Because of this, it might contain spoilers from the arcs leading up to this point, so as long as you don't mind minor spoilers (they should not be too significant, but just in case =P), please read the original light novel series prior to reading this fan fiction ^^

Naturally, any reviews, comments, and suggestions are very welcome, and I will try to respond to those to the best of my ability. After all, I also hate when I am being ignored in the review section T.T

Anyway, time to begin ^^  
The setting and characters are all borrowed from the series "Sword Art Online", by Reki Kawahara. Needless to say I neither own the setting nor the characters. Thank you Reki Kawahara for inspiring this fan fiction.

* * *

A white muffler fluttered in the fresh spring breeze, which carried the soft smell of cherry blossoms. Resting on the slender neck of the young high-school girl, the muffler gave a pleasant contrast to the piano black school uniform. As Sinon walked towards the school gate she sighed. Normally, her Fridays were spend with a short trip to the convenience store, a light dinner, and a trip to either the fantasy world of ALO, or the post-apocalyptic wastelands of GGO. However, two days ago she received an e-mail from Kikuoka-san, a civil servant involved in the "Death Gun" incident, which invited her to the usual cafe he frequented.

Yet another sigh escaped Sinon′s soft lips. It was not that she disliked Kikuoka-san. In fact, she was grateful for him and his involvement in the "Death Gun" incident, yet there was something about his demeanor which she could not get used to.

_"Come to think of it, Kirito was invited too."_, Sinon thought to herself, unintentionally showing a smile.

_"I guess if Kirito is coming as well it wouldn′t be that bad after al-"_, her train of thought abruptly stopped after remembering what happened the last time they were invited by Kikuoka-san.

A faint blush adorned her cheeks as she quickened her pace. There′s no way. There′s no way that Kirito would be bold enough to do "that" again. But thinking about it, because it was him it was all the more likely that he would do "that".

Sinon′s movements came to a halt, as she noticed a large group of female students gathered behind the school gates, giggling, whispering, and occasionally pointing at a certain individual that leaned against his motorbike. He was dressed in a navy school uniform, almost black, and gazed at the clouds in a dazed manner.

"He actually parked right in front of the school gate...again.", Sinon whispered to herself, astonished that she was still surprised by that young man′s unpredictable behavior.

As she subconsciously scanned her surroundings, she noticed that a petite girl, probably the same grade as her, held a soft pink colored letter in both her hands. Coincidentally, the color of that letter was identical to her innocent blush.

"This is bad.", Sinon exclaimed, as she hurried towards the navy black figure, trying her best to avoid the curious glances of her fellow classmates. One would think that they would lose interest after Kirito′s repeated appearances.

Sinon took a deep breath to calm her beating heart and raised her right hand, "Yo Kirito. Didn′t I tell you not to park so close to the school gate?"

Kirito snapped out of his daze, focused his attention to Sinon and replied, "Ah, good afternoon Sinon. But shouldn't it be all right? After all it is more convenient this way."

Sighing at that innocent reply, Sinon could not help but forgive his bold behavior. The piercing glares that pierced her back were a different story however.

"I...in any case, lets get out of here..."

"You are right, after all we don′t want to repeat what happened that one time when the discipline teacher showed up."

Sinon did not reply, but simply grabbed the light green spare helmet that was hanging on the bike′s left handle and fitted it on her head. That experience was traumatic. Especially after she had to explain her relationship with the attractive young man, standing just opposite of her, to the teachers, and eventually half of the student body that was attracted by the commotion. Sinon shuddered at the thought of going through that again.

Guessing her thoughts, Kirito gave her a mischievous grin and reached his arm over to hook her helmet up. Honestly, Sinon had already learned how to hook the helmet up herself, yet for some reason she kept that fact hidden from Kirito and let him do it for her. Despite how embarrassing it was to be seen like that, she continued to indulge in her guilty pleasure.

As both of them mounted the bike together, Sinon reached for Kirito′s body, wrapped her arms around his lean frame, and pressed her body against his. The few times he fetched her from school, despite her complaints, were the few times in which she could experience the same warmth which she had felt back in a certain cave during the 3rd Battle of Bullets. It felt like it had only been yesterday ever since her body was enveloped by this intoxicating feeling of comfort. His clear scent, his body′s steady movement due to his rhythmical breath, and his excited heartbeat that gave away his embarrassment, were all absorbed by Sinon′s consciousness.

"Just for now. If it is just when I am on this motorcycle ... it is ok...", Sinon inaudibly mumbled, dreading the moment they would arrive at the cafe.

* * *

"I...I will have the rare cheesecake with cranberry sauce together with an earl gray..."

"I want a baked apple pudding and a mont blanc. I′ll have an espresso as well."

As they both concluded their orders, Sinon faced the man sitting in front of her. Wearing a casual suit, and emitting a mysterious aura masked by a friendly smile, Kikuoka took out a tablet PC from his office bag and tapped the screen with his fingers. Even though she got relatively used to him, Sinon didn′t think that she could ever fully get accustomed to his presence.

"Well then, now that we have finished ordering, I would like to discuss the matters at hand. Simply put, I want to offer a part-time job to the both of you.", he explained with his ever present smile.

"Since this offer came directly form Kikuoka-san, the authorities behind this part-time job must be either shady or dangerous I am guessing. ", Kirito remarked with a complicated expression. However, his gaze sharpened, and the glint in his eyes revealed that Kikuoka was successful in capturing his attention. The same could be said for Sinon as well.

"Hahaha, nothing of that sort Kirito-kun, you must be misunderstanding.", the innocent civil worker reasoned, as he corrected his relaxed posture and adjusted his glasses. The contrast in aura was striking, causing the pair to tense up.

"The organization behind this offer is called RATH, and their current aim is to develop the next generation of Full dive equipment. Due to security reasons and regulations I cannot reveal too many details in a place like this, but there is an extremely large budget involved in this project. Knowing you, Kirito-kun, I reasoned that you would be interested. Fortunately, they have a need for experienced testers and veteran VRMMORPG players. I personally recommended Kirito-kun as a former beta tester and survivor of the SAO incident. As a second tester, I recommended Asada-san, as a veteran GGO player and co-winner of the 3rd Battle of Bullets. Additionally, after I heard about your contribution to the recovery of the Holy Sword Excaliber, I reasoned that you two were perfect for the job. But first and foremost, let us talk about the pay you will receive. It will be an hourly wage of..."

Not having eaten lunch due to a counseling meeting at school, Sinon unwillingly lost her focus. Instead of Kikuoka, her gaze was now set on Kirito′s untouched mont blanc. Before she knew it, her salivary glands cried in protest, and much to Sinon′s embarrassment, her stomach replied with a cry of its own.

Inevitably, Kirito shifted his attention to the girl on his right, who′s cheeks have reddened to the extent that he considered wether or not she had been hit by one of the Salamander′s trademark fire spells.

Responding to her irresistibly cute behavior, Kirito delicately pushed her targeted object into the radius of her attack range. The reaction was immediate. The sniper equipped herself with the one-handed equipment "fork", and mercilessly reduced her target to 70% of its former size. Sinon′s happiness parameter increased exponentially as she devoured her prey. However, the assault was not over yet. She swiftly reached towards Kirito′s espresso, and savored it′s contents. The symphony of flavor that spread throughout her mouth as a result of following the exquisite taste of the mont blanc, with the rich flavor of the espresso, momentarily overwhelmed her senses.

As she opened her eyes she was greeted by Kirito′s complicated expression.

"I didn′t say anything about the espresso though."

"Quit whining. Here, you can have a piece of mine."

The same fork that had just tasted Sinon′s soft lips was used to offer a piece of cheesecake to the opposite party. Her left hand hovered below the fork, and her body slightly leaned towards Kirito.

Her provocative response caught Kirito off guard, whose plan to tease Sinon backfired. He simply stared into her obsidian eyes, dumbfounded.

"H...Hurry up. This is getting embarrassing...", Sinon whispered, noticing the curious glances of the other customers in the cafe.

"Got it..."

Kirito leaned forward and accepted the cheesecake. Much like his baked apple pudding it was delicious. The flavor was perfectly balanced and the smooth texture was a product of the chef′s countless years of experience. But there was something else. A taste much sweeter than that of the cranberry sauce that accompanied the cheesecake. Could that sweet taste possibly be-

"I am sorry to interrupt you lovebirds, but wouldn't Asuna-san get jealous if she saw you like that?", Kikuoka interrupted while clearing his throat.

The pair was pulled back to reality, having totally forgotten the existence of the devilish man at the opposite side of the table.

Kirito was the first one to get flustered, as he exclaimed, "Of course its not like that! Don′t imagine weird things Kikuoka-san.".

As Kikuoka and Kirito started a comedic argument, Sinon unnoticeably lowered her head.

_"That′s right. Me and Kirito aren′t ... like that. He already has Asuna, whom he has been together with for more than 2 years. I already know. I knew from the moment he introduced me to her. She is beautiful, kind, and smart, and he loves her with all his heart. He would never choose someone like me over her. I know all that, but still I-"_

Sinon′s train of though was abruptly interrupted by the civil servants devilish remark, "Hahaha, of course I could never imagine a perfect couple like you and Asuna-san to break up. But still..."

He paused for a tenth of a second and shifted his attention to Sinon.

"It is quite a shame, Kirito-kun"

"Eh?!"

"Wha?!"

Having startled the both of them, Kikuoka was seemingly satisfied and continued, "Hahaha, just kidding. In any case I will have to be on my way now. I will send you the details by e-mail later this evening. Wether or not you want to accept it is up to you, but be sure to tell me before the beginning of next week. I look forward to working with you again. Kirito-kun, Asada-san"

He nodded at the pair as he stood up and left the cafe.

"Really, sometimes I just don′t understand what this guy is thinking. Also, he really did say something weird this time.", Kirito sighed.

"Of course. What a weird thing to say...", Sinon replied with a wry smile.

By the time they left, the sky had already been dyed in a deep red. Kirito dropped her off at her apartment, and as she waved at the disappearing figure of the man she had fallen in love with, she muttered to herself.

"Yes ... this is the way it is supposed to be."

* * *

"... and that is why the fluctlights produce an ultra-high quality environment once you dive. While it may be identical to the real world, remember that it is just a re-creation of the information stored in your fluctlights. Additionally, in order to prevent any discomfort during the dive, the system will automatically create a self-image of yourself in which you feel the most comfortable. Any questions?", the scientist asked as he explained the basics of the STL machine, which Kirito and Sinon were already connected to.

The duo shook their heads in a synchronized manner.

The scientist nodded, and signaled to the other researchers that the dive will commence in a few seconds. Immediately after, Sinon felt a floating sensation, and was seemingly lifted into another world.

_"Fast!"_

The single word that flashed through her mind perfectly described the sensation that she experienced with her five senses. Normally, when fulldiving with her AmuSphere, it would take several minutes to connect her senses one by one, until the fulldive was finally complete. However, the amount of time it took for Sinon to become aware of all her five senses in the virtual world was at most 3 seconds.

_"So this is the difference in processing speed between the AmuSphere and this next gen fulldive equipment."_, Sinon evaluated while shifting her focus to her surroundings. She stood in an empty space at the size of a narrow room, and noticed Kirito not too far from her position, who was clothed in an unfamiliar black longcoat and observed his immediate environment just as Sinon did.

_"Judging from what they said, that must be Kirito′s self-image. Then what would be mine?"_, Sinon wondered as she lowered her gaze and observed her own body.

"This is-"

Sinon was abruptly interrupted by the piercing sound of millions of shattering glasses, and blown away by a force equal to a direct hit of her beloved PGM Hecate II. The space that harbored her and Kirito just moments ago mercilessly crumbled into nothingness at a frightening speed, while the virtual dimension shook with tremors equal to a small sized earthquake. In a desperate attempt to regain her balance, Sinon spread her legs and lowered her center of gravity. It was futile. The ground underneath her very feet disappeared, and a familiarly heavy weight on her back pulled her into the darkness.

"KIRITO!", Sinon screamed at the black swordsman that fell headfirst into nothingness just a few meters to her right.

"SINON, GRAB MY HAND!", he shouted out at as loud as he could.

He stretched out his hand to the outmost of his ability, and Sinon mimicked that behavior, desperately reaching for his black gloved palms. Their fingertips inched closer little by little, while the intensity of the earsplitting noise rose by the second. Yet, at the very moment that her fingertips brushed against his, a final tremor blasted Sinon and Kirito apart. The dimension started to distort, and Sinon′s consciousness faded into black.

"SINOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooo...", Kirito roared once again, but along with the distortion of the dimension, his voice diminished into nothingness as well.

His plea remained unanswered.

* * *

**Author`s Note**

Well then, that is the first chapter ^^

I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Also, I must apologize for the slow start, but every story needs an introduction I guess xP  
The next chapter will include exciting combat, so please bear with me for a while.

As I am currently taking exams, the next chapter will be published around the 17th.  
...Yeah, I don't think I am using my time efficiently xD

In any case, I`ll see you guys again when I publish my second chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author`s Note**

Hello everyone, this is ChristmasForJuan ^^

Firstly, I have to apologize for releasing the chapter one day late, but I made it a little longer this time, so I hope you guys will forgive me xP

Secondly, I included a little bit of gore in this chapter. This means that everyone who cannot handle stuff like that, please be VERY careful as you read, as I don't want to cause any unwanted inconveniences .

But yeah, I think that should be it. I wouldn't want to keep you guys from reading any longer, so here you go. Enjoy the read!

* * *

"What just-"

"…malfunctions have occurred during the…"

"…the Quantum Operation Circuit shows an exceptionally high processing rate, despite that fact that…"

"Quickly! Analyze the conditions of the subjects!"

"…rate of acceleration rapidly increased!"

"…would need at least one hour to…"

Higa Takeru, who had just been called to the scene, observed the mindless chaos. White lab coats danced in the sky as the hard soles hurried around the room like a startled flock of birds. Higa himself, who was responsible behind the production of the STL, could have never predicted this outcome. No, that was wrong. It would be different if the problem were a reasonable issue that could be identified by rational means, but now… The problem at hand was neither rational nor reasonable. In fact, none of the many distinguished scientists in this room were able to form as much as a hypothesis, an idea, or even a guess as to why the STL reacted as it did. The Quantum Operation Circuit operated perfectly until something seemingly … interacted with it. The very thought was haunting. At this point in time, the only Quantum Operation Circuit of this level existed in this very room, yet the data displayed on the dozens of monitor screens stated differently.

"It couldn't be…", Higa muttered in shock.

A rare expression overtook his face, as his eyes widened and his mouth went dry. The world around him became quiet, and solely his thoughts echoed in the silence.

_"If I am right, then what is interfering with the Quantum Operation Circuit is nothing other than… No… It couldn't be… In that case, that would mean that right now, at this very moment, we are connected to-"_

"Takeru-san!"

Higa was forced back into reality, as a young scientist ran towards him carrying a messy notepad.

"Takeru-san, the analysis on the subjects′ condition just finished. While they are not in critical condition, their fluctlights are now directly connected to the STL. This means that a forceful ejection could potentially harm their neural activity, no, their very soul themselves. But…"

"What is it?"

"… Before we were aware of this fact, we attempted to forcefully eject one of the subjects before the rate of acceleration could increase even further… but … while the subject did not receive major damage, we observed damage to the subject′s long-term memory. Upon further investigation it was apparent that his long-term memory was only slightly affected, but we are unable to reverse this problem as of now."

"Who was the subject?"

"Subject #1…"

The young scientist hesitated for a second, as he stared Higa straight into the eye and stated in a serious tone.

"Kirigaya Kazuto"

* * *

The sunlight was unusually bright.

As Kirito′s consciousness sluggishly awoke from it′s sleep, the warmth of the soothing sunlight was the first thing it registered. One by one his other senses became aware of his surroundings as well. The ticklish feeling of grass brushing against his right cheek. The sweet scent of nearby flowers filling his lungs. The taste of fresh air resting on his tongue. The continuous chirping of numerous birds reaching his mind, and finally, as Kirito pushed his tired eyelids open, the brilliant rays of sunlight.

"Where…", Kirito whispered as he turned his head to the left in a lethargic manner.

_"A forrest clearing?"_

Bewildered be the strange environment which was laid out in front of his eyes, Kirito dispelled his momentary wish to continue sleeping, as he attempted to raise his body into a sitting position. However, he did not manage to do so, as an unfamiliar weight pulled him towards the ground. No. If anything, then that weight would be best described as … nostalgic?

"No way?!", Kirito exclaimed as he instantly jumped to his feet.

As he looked down on his body, he could see a black longcoat partially covering his black leather pants and similar colored shirt. Adding to that, the nostalgic weight on his back did not vanish. In fact, it was as if the two entities on his back were crying out for him, screaming for him to wield them as he once did.

Kirito hesitated for a tenth of a second, before his gloved hands reached towards his back, only to be greeted by the sturdy handles of his beloved swords.

Kirito′s hesitation was blown away in an instant. The cold feeling of the swords seeped from his steady grip through his arms, and from there filled every inch of his body. Yet, that feeling was in no way uncomfortable. It was as if Kirito had reunited with a long lost companion, as if the one piece that was missing inside of him finally rejoined the very being that was called Kirito. The black swordsman exerted force into his grip as he fluidly pulled the two blades out of their sheaths, and harshly swung them towards the ground.

A white-black radiance illuminated the clearing. As if playfully arguing with each other, "Black Repulser" allowed the sunlight to dance around it′s razor sharp edges, and reflected it into all directions, while "Elucidator" greedily sucked in all light that dared to approach it. It felt as if, along with Kirito, the swords themselves awoke from a deep slumber, and were now shivering in excitement.

Kirito himself could not believe it. The swords he believed to have left behind in that floating castle so long ago have now returned to his very palms. But that was impossible. After all, they were virtual pieces of data. How could they be replicated this accurately in the real world?

_"No, this isn't the real world."_, Kirito remembered, as he desperately tried to recollect his memories.

_"I am … my name is Kirigaya Kazuto. I am seventeen years old and live in Kawagoe, Saitama prefecture with my mother and a little sister … no, my cousin. I am single and … I don't have a … "_

Kirito trailed off, as his heart was attacked by a sudden feeling of emptiness. It was as if something extremely important was missing. Something he forgot. Something he absolutely had to remember.

Trying to dispel the major discomfort that resided in his heart, he casually glanced at the two swords that rested in his hands.

_"That′s right. The scientists said that my virtual appearance would be modeled after my self image. But is this really the virtual world? The graphics are too real. Plus, how is the machine able to read my memories and create an appropriate self image anyway?"_, Kirito wondered, confused by the newfound world he was thrown into.

_"Wait… Did they not explain why? Those… what did they call them again… fluctlights? Is their research on the human soul really advanced enough to generate this kind of environment?"_

Kirito let his thoughts wonder for several minutes, until his attention was ultimately pulled back to his swords.

_"If it is possible to recreate 'Dark Repulser' and 'Elucidator', then is it possible to recreate 'those' as well?"_

Without waiting for an answer, Kirito widened his stance and let 'Elucidator' rest on his right shoulder. The sword was instantly colored in a raging light blue flame, and dashed forward with a velocity that would normally be physically impossible. As the blade came to a stop around 10 centimeters above the ground, a light blue line was traced in midair at a 45° angle, and a strong gust of wind reached the trees on the opposite side.

"1-hit, one-handed sword skill 'Vertical'. It seems that even 'Sword Skills' are replicated in this world.", Kirito exclaimed in surprise, as he sheathed both of his swords on his back.

While we would have enjoyed to find out more about this world, and play around with his old companions a little longer, there were more urgent matters at hand.

After all, the last thing he could remember, was the virtual environment breaking down during the test dive, and being separated from Sinon. Kirito could clearly remember the distressed state he was in as he reached out for Sinon. Her fear stricken face was unbearable for Kirito to imagine, which is why he shook his head, and approached the edge of the clearing.

"Come to think of it, we have been spending more time with each other lately. I wonder if I should surprise her the next time by waiting at the school gate again.", Kirito murmured to himself as he came up with several new methods to tease Sinon with.

He could not remember when it started, but he had fallen in love with her for some time now … Or did he?

A stinging pain assaulted his head once again, and Kirito wavered as he pressed his left hand against his temple.

_"I am in … love? But I do not have a girlfriend… do I? …name… Her name is A…Asu-"_

The pain increased, and Kirito was forced to his knees. Why was it that this pain occurred whenever he thought of the past. What was it′s cause?

However, suddenly a single person flashed in his mind. The pain melted away, and was replaced by a comforting warmth. The girl had a delicate figure, and wore a familiar black school uniform. Her red tie was covered by a white muffler, and framing her bespectacled eyes were strands of black hair that were tied together by small ribbons.

"… Asada. I love Sinon?"

Kirito inaudibly whispered that phrase and was assaulted by a controversial feeling. On one hand, something in his mind, something forgotten, saddened him to an extent that he would immediately discard such an unreasonable thought, but on the other hand … his heartbeat fastened, and all of his senses were flooded by a feeling of comfort and longing.

Kirito stood up. There was no doubt about it now. His feelings for Sinon were true, they have always been. For that reason he could no longer waste time in this forrest clearing. He had to find her. There was no way he would leave this world without her, nor would he leave her alone in this unfamiliar world any second longer. He had to find her, and he had to do so now.

However, at that very moment, the sound of rustling leaves and footsteps filled the clearing.

"Damn it!"

Kirito had been so focused on his thoughts, that he did not notice the noise that was clearly noticeable now. But above all, Kirito cursed himself for not noticing the bloodlust that was emitted by the surrounding trees, or to be exact, whatever was lurking in the shadow of those trees.

Kirito quickly jumped back to the center of the clearing, lowered his center of gravity, and grasped the handle of 'Elucidator'. He remained in that position until the owners of the sickening bloodlust showed themselves. Kirito could not believe what he saw.

The beings that carelessly wandered into the clearing were goblins. Obviously, Kirito was familiar with the beings called goblins. Generally, they were weak, low-leveled monsters commonly found it RPGs that only possessed a simple AI, but what surprised Kirito was not the fact that those monsters existed in this world. Kirito had already decided not to be surprised by the appearance of such things in this unfamiliar world after holding 'Elucidator' and 'Black Repulser' in his hands. However, what shocked Kirito was the goblin′s demeanor, their attitude, their body posture, and above all, their eyes filled with life.

_"Is it possible, that they have souls of their own?"_, Kirito thought to himself.

_"But that is impossible. How could an AI ever imitate a human soul?! Wait. Could it be, that they have fluctlights of their own?!"_

Kirito′s suspicion was validated as one of the 40 goblins that have already gathered in the clearing, started to speak.

"Kekeke, would you look at that. A weak looking Ium brat wielding two swords. Do you want to play hero, brat?"

_"I was not mistaking. The mocking tone in there voice, and their speech is too advanced and original for an AI. Is that the power of the STL?!"_, Kirito though to himself in surprise.

He could not believe that the analysis of the human soul has gotten so far. If what he thought was true, then the STL was truly a device that trespassed into God′s territory.

"Despite how weak he looks, his equipment looks pretty decent. We might get a high price for that coat if we were to sell it."

"But Ium boys don't fetch a high price nowadays. Well, good for us. I was just getting hungry. Kekeke."

Their casual conversations continued, which gave Kirito time to analyze the situation. He was alone, and his enemy consisted of around 40 poorly equipped goblins. However, despite their rusted swords and torn leather armor, these goblins were not simple AIs but thinking individuals. That meant that if he would fight them as he normally would, they would eventually be able to adapt to his movements and corner him. Despite his experience and superior equipment, Kirito was not sure if he could survive this situation unscathed. Subconsciously, Kirito checked the upper left corner of his vision. As expected, he did not have an HP bar, nor any other HUD element in his vision.

Kirito corrected his stance and pulled out both swords. He was not willing to find out what would happen if his life dropped to zero, nor was he willing to find out wether or not this world had a pain limiter. Though Kirito could already guess the answer.

The goblins noticed the change in the black swordsman and readied their weapons themselves.

"Seems like he wants to play hero after all. Go get him!"

At the goblin′s command everyone charged in at once, not giving Kirito the benefit of the doubt, despite their previous mockery.

However, Kirito did not panic. He dispelled his previous fear and sharpened his senses. Time seemingly slowed down as his consciousness stepped up a gear.

"That′s right. There is one other thing that I can rely on.", Kirito calmly whispered in the silence.

He lowered his body even further, and placed his right sword parallel to his leg. His sword was covered by a pale blue light effect, and Kirito closed the distance of 10 meters between him and the closest goblin almost instantly.

Kirito dashed forward due to the one-handed charge type skill "Rage Spike".

Surprised by the sudden acceleration of the young boy, the goblin abruptly stopped, and raised his left arm in defense. However it was too late. The sword jumped up at an unreasonable speed and severed the goblins hand from his body. Kirito was momentarily surprised at the high definition details, as he gazed at the severed tendons and muscles, along with the cleanly cut bone at the center of the arm.

The goblins face was torn in agony, which validated one of Kirito′s earlier suspicions. There was no pain limiter.

Directing his focus to his feet, Kirito used the momentum of the swing to spin almost 180°. He put strength in his left arm, and buried the dazzling blade deep into the unprotected abdomen of the goblin.

Kirito raised his right sword to block the incoming attacks of two goblins, that were aiming for his back just 2 seconds ago. It seemed that they were planning to take Kirito by surprise.

However, the goblins were shocked once again. It was not due to the young boy′s insanely fast movement and reaction speed, nor was it due to the fact that he had already killed one of their members in a matter of 4 seconds. What shocked the goblins was the unreasonable weight of the sword that the black swordsman single handedly wielded with ease.

"How is it possible?! How do you wield such a sword like a twig?!", one of the goblins exclaimed in shock.

Kirito did not answer them. Instead, he repelled their sword with a swift movement of his right hand, which exposed their leather armored chests. He slid his left sword out of the previous goblin′s abdomen and positioned it to his left. A soft blue light effect covered the blood stained blade, and instantly slashed the two goblins. The 1-hit, one-handed sword skill "Horizontal" inflicted fatal wounds on it′s opposing enemies, who lifelessly fell backwards.

However, this was not enough. The raging beasts that were restrained by Kirito′s palms shivered in excitement. Their edges were sharpened even further by their wielders pressure, which slowed down the enemies′ advance.

As his jet black sword was covered in a blue-green glow, Kirito charged into the ranks of his enemies, and covered himself in their blood. Soon, it was no longer possible to differentiate the beast from the prey.

_"I need to finish this quickly. If there are this many goblins gathered here, there must be other units in the area. If Sinon is in the area, she might have gotten into contact with those groups already!"_, Kirito concluded, as he rolled to his left to avoid a thrown knife.

Yet, despite his disadvantage, it became surprisingly easy to read the enemies movements, Kirito thought as he dodged an incoming strike at the last moment. Positioning his left sword at his right waist, Kirito activated the 2-hit, one-handed sword skill "Snake Bite" at zero distance and severed the goblin′s head.

Twisting his body to the extreme by sliding his right leg around his left in a pivotal motion, Kirito managed to avoid two other sword strikes. His right sword, that was already positioned at his waist, was covered in a crimson flame and parried the incoming third strike with a horizontal swing to the left. The three goblins were now lined up right next to each other, and each of them were wide open. Yet, the skill did not stop there. The crimson colored sword jumped upwards by 45° to the right and severed the left goblin′s torso. The goblin in the middle received the slash with his right arm and his head, losing both in the process. The goblin on the right followed the blade with a terrified expression, as it came to a halt just above his head. However, the crimson light effect still did not vanish. The red flame sparked for the last time, as "Elucidator" performed the final vertical slash of the skill, splitting the goblin into two.

As if surprised by the swiftness of the 3-hit, one-handed sword skill "Savage Fulcrum", the goblin′s body only excreted blood an instant after it was split.

Kirito ducked under a horizontal slash from behind, and blocked a vertical slash from his left by positioning "Dark Repulser" at a vertical angle. The smooth surface guided the rusted blade towards the ground. Kirito jumped to his right in order to secure his footing. The other goblins chased after him, but halted as Kirito′s right sword was covered in a sky blue light effect. 4-hit, one-handed sword skill, "Horizontal Square".

However, just as the fourth hit inflicted a deep cut on another goblin′s thigh, two throwing knives approached Kirito′s right leg and neck at terrifying velocity.

_"So they ARE able of learning!?"_, Kirito thought in panic, as he jumped to the left at full strength, and parried an incoming sword strike of a goblin who predicted his movement.

However, since his center of balance was off and his posture still in mid jump, Kirito′s chest was grazed by the blade, which tore through his black shirt from his left collar bone all the way down to his waist. In all honesty, he was lucky to have survived that attack with a wound only half a centimeter deep.

Suddenly, a sharp pain attacked his nervous system, and Kirito was forced forfeit his counter attack for the sake of taking a deep breath.

_"Hehe…How cruel of you Higa-san. This level of pain should be illegal."_, Kirito thought to himself, as he tried to ignore the paralyzing pain.

_"It seems that they were able to reorganize themselves faster than I expected. If I don't break through their defenses soon, the will be able to corner me from all sides. There is no other way. If I focus my strength on a single point and use 'that', I might be able to create a gap large enough to escape."_

Kirito exhaled and tried to ignore the throbbing cut on his chest. He could not risk fighting those goblins any longer. While they were surprisingly weak when challenged individually, their fighting potential as a whole was not to be underestimated. Additionally, what set them apart from regular RPG mobs, was their ability to adapt, and to respond to the specific situation they were placed in. In other words, Kirito´s wound was by no means a lucky hit. It was a perfectly executed plan.

A cold shiver extended throughout Kirito´s body.

_"This feels just like fighting members of the 'Laughing Coffin'."_, he concluded in shock.

Yet, Kirito shook his head to dispel any remaining shred of doubt, as the next wave of goblins headed towards him. He merely stood still, waiting for their exposed skin to enter his reach. There were at least five goblins that fearlessly charged at him, and yet another ten that formed a second line of attack. Kirito could not underestimate those creatures any longer. He had to go all out.

With that in mind, Kirito activated the highest level dual-blades skill, "The Eclipse".

Both of his swords flickered, as if ignited by a snow-white flame, and eradicated the remaining goblins at breathtaking speed. Or at least that was the way he imagined it in his head. Instead, the dual blades in Kirito′s possession merely flickered once, like a weak ember during a stormy night, and extinguished.

Kirito was in a state of utter shock. He had timed this skill perfectly with the incoming attacks of the other goblins, meaning that he was now exposed and defenseless to several sword strikes from his front and his left.

"…Shit!"

Kirito immediately pulled both of his sword upward to receive the heavy blows, ignoring the numbing pain that seeped into his chest. He was careless. While he was pinned down by the goblins in front of him, another, who was hiding behind the frames of the attacking horde, jumped out from the blind spot created by his peers and threw a small knife into Kirito′s direction.

He had no way of dodging. The blade, around 20 centimeters in length, edged itself straight through Kirito′s left upper arm. The pain was indescribable. Howling in agony, his left arm wavered for a short interval, which gave the attackers enough time to break through his guard and cut into his left lower arm.

Kirito was unable to handle the pain any longer, and dropped to his knees while continuing to howl like a wounded beast. His left hand let go of "Dark Repulser" as the blood gushed out and slowly dyed his black sleeve into a dark-crimson.

"Kekeke, look at our hero-sama. It seems that he was full of surprises, but in the end is nothing but a little Ium brat."

Kirito faintly noticed the mockery of the goblins, but he was too focused to enduring the mind numbing pain. As he observed his surroundings with his dimmed vision, Kirito thought to himself.

_"There is no way I can turn this situation around anymore. My left arm is injured, and there are way too many for me to fight by myself… Even if I try to fight back right now, I will merely stall my death. They have already more or less figured out how I fight, and for some reason I cannot use my dual-blades skills…"_

Gritting his teeth, Kirito hardened his grip on "Elucidator".

_"But that doesn't give me the right to give up no-"_

Predicting what he was about to do, the goblin in front of him kneed Kirito in the face.

"Kekeke, don′t even try to fight back now Ium brat. At first I was planning to play around with you a little bit, but you really put me in a bad mood now. Just quietly sit there and accept your death!.", the goblin arrogantly stated as he raised his sword.

Kirito chuckled as he whispered to himself.

"Hehe… So is this it? Is this my punishment for judging the goblins to be inferior to me?."

Kirito raised his head and stared his executioner dead in the eye with an unwavering gaze. Of course the goblins were hideous creates, whose individual battle potential was extremely low, yet despite those circumstances, they were able to achieve strength nonetheless. It was wrong of Kirito to discriminate against them simply due to his past experiences, which is why he would be ashamed to be cut down with at least doing this much. While stile harboring contempt for the savage beasts called goblins, Kirito attempted to convey his respect towards them as well.

The goblin showed a complicated expression for a short instant, yet smirked as he swung his blade downwards.

_"It was foolish of me to suddenly try out my dual blades skills without testing it out first. Not that it matters right now anyway … I never would have thought that I would die here, in an unfamiliar world by an unfamiliar sword. If I had known, then I should have told Sinon about how I feel. I should have told her as I picked her up from school, or as I dropped her off at her apartment. If … If it were just one more time … I would have wanted to see her, just one more time … and tell her…"_

The blade moved closer and closer with each passing thought. Soon, it was only two centimeters away from his head. Kirito closed his eyes.

"Sorry Sinon … I never said goodbye."

The rusted blade rapidly cut through the flesh, and edged itself deeper into the skull. An earsplitting sound echoed as the skull cracked into half and the blade finally came to a stop.

Kirito did not feel any pain, as the whole world stood still and everything drowned in silence.

* * *

**Author`s Note**

There we go. Hopefully this chapter was to your liking ^^

Also, as you guys might have already noticed, I tool the liberty of deciding on the special effect color of "The Eclipse". The reason for this, is that the sword skill is only mentioned twice in the whole series, once in novel 1 and once in novel 4. Additionally, in novel 1 there is no mention whatsoever about the start up motion or the color at all T.T  
That is why, I had to refer to novel 4, in which Kirito uses the sword skill without system assist against the tree guardians. It was described in the novel that the swords traced a snow-white circle, so I went along with it and decided that the special effect color must be the same xP  
I know that that might just have been the end flames of the guardians, or even just the reflections of the light on the blades, but I thought that the snow-white color fit "The Eclipse" really well, as the ultimate dual blades skill ^^

On that note, I will have to apologize to you guys in advance, as I will not be publishing the next chapter anytime after the 5th of June.  
That is because I will be going on a graduation trip after my exams, and I don't think that I can focusing on writing during that period ^^

However, don't despair, because Sinon will appear again ^o^  
But yeah, I really hope that you guys will consider the next chapter worth the wait xP

Anyway, that should be it for now. I hope to see you guys again with my next chapter ^^


End file.
